Alan Partridge : Knowing Me, Knowing You/Knowing Me, Knowing Yule - Complete BBC Series [1994] [DVD]

I first heard of this show when my Mum was ill in bed watching T.V and talking about 'this chat show host who insults his guests.' Like many other viewers, and reviewers, she thought it was a genuine chat show! On a recently aired documentary, even the late Roger Moore's dad thought his son was meant to be appearing on the show, and gave him a telling off, only for the late 007 to tell him that it was a satire! Having been subjected to seemingly endless, boring chat shows in my younger years, Steve Coogan aka Alan Partridge, brought a breath of fresh air to the somewhat jaded concept of the thrice weekly chat show presented by Terry of Wogan (who former London Evening Standard Columnist Victor Lewis Smith dubbed 'Wigon.'). Who'd have thought that this humble sports presenter, with a penchant for Abba and that time honoured look of sports casual, favoured by the late Ronnie Corbett during his infamous monologues on The Two Ronnies, would get his very own chat show? It's a delight! Monsieur Partridge has a lavish set, his own house band (the name of which changes every week! But Glen Ponda is the conductor in residence, and their banter is brilliant, if a little awkward, as Glen is batting for the other team, if you get my meaning, something that doesn't sit well with the straitlaced Alan!). As it's a spoof (and a very well executed one at that!) expect to see the same actors taking on various roles as some widely diverse characters, reflecting all walks of life. Nothing has been left to chance, and the comedy lies in the polished presenter trying to regain control of his chat show vehicle as his guests continually take the wheel and turn it into a car crash! Also, his lack of tact, in that he speaks his mind and asks questions later! It's like an instructional video of sorts, about how NOT to host a chat show! Along with the six shows from the T.V series, there's also the 'Noel's House Party' inspired,'Knowing me, knowing yule,' Christmas special. I much preferred this to the subsequent Partridge based outings that followed on from this, as this is where you get to see him at home, getting his big break on T.V, before his fall from grace. Comedy gold!

Not having watched the forerunner of the Alan Partridge TV series at the time it was televised it appears a little un-professional now but that was probably the idea then! This DVD is the spoof-chat-show (that apparently fooled many when it was originally broadcast into believing it was genuine!) and Steve Coogan already has the mannerisms and character of Partridge off to a tee. Obviously these were perfectly honed in the later series' where he (Partridge) would be moved away from his "chat-show" onto Radio Norwich.For me this series is not as brilliant as the later ones and a minor irritation is that, despite their best efforts of disguise, his "TV guests" were mostly played by the same actors.Overall, though, if you like laughing at other people's misfortune or embarrassment then the Alan Partridge series is for you. There are also some very clever human observational moments, which the writers get just right. One minute you warm to Alan the next you find yourself cringing at something he's said. That's what's so "loveable" about him! Partridge does not intentionally say unpleasant things to his guests; his almost childlike character does not really understand what he's saying!Having already bought the other two Partridge DVDs (obviously from Amazon!) this was a welcome addition to the collection and sets the tone for the others. If you've not seen Alan Partridge this is a perfect introduction. Some people compare Partridge to other popular comedic characters such as David Brent (The Office) or Basil Fawlty (Fawlty Towers) but I believe Alan is unlike any other!

Alan Partridge is considerably more crass and socially unaware than any real host you will find on tv. That's what makes Knowing Me Knowing You extremely funny. Partridge is a very poor interviewer - discourteous, narrow-minded and dour are words that spring to mind. There are many horrific (read hilarious) moments during his painful gem of a series and the fictional guests are just the right mix of famous, infamous, quirky and banal. These extra characters are played well by a reliable and talented stable of Coogan chums, such as David Schneider, Patrick Marber and Rebecca Front. AP slaps all of them down in some way and a few of them hit him gamely back with barbed comments that at times have the audience squirming. I think that some of the studio spectators believed KMKY to be a genuine show, as i understand that some home viewers complained to the BBC after the original airing, convinced of the same thing. One can only imagine what these people thought of the scene where Alan accidentally kills one of his guests.I particularly liked the episode that was set in Paris. Co-fronting it was a chic and professional Parisienne doomed to suffer quite shameless Frog-bashing from Alan. At the end of that episode, after he'd insulted the French to the point of no return, AP glibly announced that he hoped Britain and France would be just a little closer because of his ground-breaking show.The Yule one showed AP managing to offend both Christians and Jews, pyrotechnicians, his disabled guests,his gay co-presenters and patients in the local children's hospital. The episode resolved a few things touched on in the earlier programmes, especially AP's boasting of the mega bucks spent on his tacky studio sets in comparison to the need for dialysis machines. Special guest on that show (To Alan, because he wanted to schmooze) is Tony Hayers (Schneider), the commissioning editor for BBC tv. Hayers finally pulls the plug on the expensive sets, the product placement and lastly, on Alan's career. This cringey crescendo provides the set up for the Patridge/Hayers animosity and sensitivity in the next series.I didn't think much of the "extras" of this DVD but then I never buy DVD's for anything other than the movies/programmes themselves. This is a 5 star series and Alan Patridge is one of the great, comic monsters.